The date of Emperor Vikramaditya

1. Puranic Evidence, (Bhavishya Maha Purana)

In the Rajatarangini Kalhana mentions that Vikramaditya, the emperor of India, whose capital was Ujjain sent Metrigupta to be the ruler of Kashmir, which was included in the empire of the former. We give below all the authoritative evidences that go to show the existence of Vikramaditya during 1st century B.C., and request the historians to peruse them carefully.The above slokas mean to this effect:- "After the completion of three thousand years in Kali (101 B.C.),for the destruction of the Sakas and the propagation of the Aryan Dharma, by the command of Siva, from the abode of the Guhyakas in Kailasa, a personage will be born (to Gandharva Sena, the king of Ujjain). The father gave the child the name of Vikramaditya and rejoiced. Even as an infant he was very wise and gladdned the hearts of the parents. At an early age of five years. he retired to a forest to do penance,. Having spent twelve years in meditation, he achieved spiritual eminence and returned to his city called "Ambavati" or Ujjain. On the eve of his ascending the throne adorned with thirty two golden statues, came a learned Brahmin and he delayed the coronation ceremony with a purpose to teach the king a history consisting of several episodes, wherein the rights and duties of a monarch are enumerated. Then the Brahmin taught the prince all the rights and responsibilities he owed to himself and to his subjects and gave him a befitting and an efficient training worthy of an adventurous Sovereign. Afterwards, in Kali 3020 year or B.C. 82 Vikramaditya was crowned king. Then he expelled the Sakas and drove them as far as Bactria, conquered the whole of Bharata country from Setu to the Himalayas, and received tribute from the feudatory kings.

The limits of his empire was described in the Bhavishya Purana:— In the west the other bank of the Sindhu River; in the South the Setu; Badarinarayana in the Himalayas formed the North limit and the city of Kapilavastu, the boundary in the East. These were the limits of Vikramaditya's Empire.

Meaning :- "By the grace and command of Siva, Gandharvasena’s son, Vikramaditya reigned as Emperor, for hundred years. His son "Devabhakta" after ruling for ten years, was killed in a battle by the cruel Sakas."(Kali 3130 or 29 A.D.)

We deem it our duty to make minor alterantions to periods of Kings of Kashmir

Ancient records and old inscriptions should be the sources for history. The narratives constructed on the basis of personal predilections and racial prejudices should be considered as romances woven out of idle fancies but do not deserve the name of history. There might be lapses and slips in the traditional records maintained by the chroniclers from generation to genaration. In the absence of the printing press, certain errors might have crept in due to the negligence of the scribes or the lack of comprehension on the part of the writers. When similar slight mistakes occur, the duty of the modern research scholar will be to mend them in such a way as to maintain the trend of the popular tradition but not to mangle and mutilate the original with insertions and interpolations, so that it might appear a monstrasity. On the flimsy ground of a contradiction here and there, the historian should not condemn it as a legend and reject the first three Tarangas as Dr. Buhler did. Further, it will be highly blameworthy and injudicious to overhaul the old history and to write a new one so as to suit their misconceptions of modernity. As regards Kalhana and his Rajatarangini, the western writers played the game of ‘run with the hare and hunt with the hound'. Dr. Buhler, who rejected the first three Tarangas, expresses that "with this key, it wiil become possible to fix the chronology of the latter Kashmirian kings with perfect accuracy" and in doing so Buhler blows hot and cold in the same breath. We are not able to reconcile how Buhler could accept the authenticity of ‘Saptarshi Era' made use of by Kalhana and recognise ‘The last three books of his chronicle', while at the same time he rejects the authority of the first three Tarangas, (i. e. the whole history of the Gonanda dynasty consisting of 89 kings, covering a period of 3702 years from 3450 B.C., to 252 A. D.).

Kings of Taranga VIII

Agni Vamsi or Brahma-Kshatra Kings From 1110 to 1148 A.D. Total 38 years (4 kings. )

Name of King	Years Reigned	Kashmirabda or Laukikabda	Christian Era A.D.
133. Uchchla - 134. Sankaraja	10	4186-4196	1110-1120
135. Sussala	8	4196-4204	1120-1128
136. Jayasimha	20	4204-4224	1128-1148

Kalhana mentioned that Jayasimha was the ruler of Kashmir when he wrote the Rajatarangini in the Saka 1070 years. If we add 78 to 1070, we get the Christian Era 1148 A.D.. It appears that Jayasimha ruled for some time more ( till 1154 A.D.)

The Sum total of all the reigns after Gonanda III, the 53rd. king.
53rd king to 73rd ---- 910 years
74th king to 79th ---- 192 years
80th .. .. . 89th ---- 332 years
90th .. .. . 106th---- 600 years
107th .. ... 116th----- 84 years
117th .. ... 126th----- 76 years
127th .. ... 132nd----- 98 years
133rd .. ... 136th----- 38 years
Total ----------------2330 years .
Befere Gonanda III--- 2268 years.
Grand Total-----------4598 years

Kalhana's time is 1148 A.D.; 4593-1148 = 345O B.C.
i.e., From 3450 B.C. we have the history of Kashmir.

Kalhana’s father was a tributary to the king of Kashmir, besides being the Prime Minister. This family might have been a branch of the Satavahana dynasty.

Rajatarangini relates that the Lohar kings, who were subordinate to the kings of Kashmir, belonged to Andhra Satavahana race. The 120th king in the list, Parvagupta, was a descendant of Satavahana dynasty; since he got the crown of Kashmir, the Brahmin kings of Gupta family became rulers of Kashmir. The Brahmin king of Lohar was the son-in-law of Bhima Sahi, the Hindu Brahmana Sahi king in Kabul. His daughter ‘Didda Devi’ was married to Kshemagupta, the son of Parvagupta. The 127th king in the list, "Sangrama Raja", was the nephew or brother’s son to Didda Devi; and was son of Lohar king. Rajatarangini clearly mentions that he was a descendant of Satavahana family. The Puranas pronounced that the Andhra Satavahana race spilt-up into several offshoots and spread all over the land. These Andhra Brahmin families held sovereignty not only over the South but also over the North; in, Kashmir, Lohar etc.
The Sahi family ruled over an area by the name of "Dhakkan Territory", in Simhapura, Divyakataka, and Uttara Jyotisha regions; these Yavana states were conquered and consolidated into one kingdom and ruled. Its modern name is Afghanistan.

Kings in Taranga VII. - Satavahana Dynasty

Lohar Family ·
From 1012 A.D. to 1110 A.D. Total 98 years. ( 6 kings)

Name of King	Years Reigned	Kashmirabda or Laukikabda	Christian Era A.D.
127. Sangramaraja, Brother’s son of Didda; contemporary to Trilochana Pala of Kabul 1000 to 1021 A.D.	15	4088-4103	1012-1027
128. Hariraja	22 days	-	-
129. Anantadeva	35 years	4103-4138,	1027-1062
Anantadeva again	16	4138-4154	1062-1078
130. Kalasa or Ranaditya(Pandit and Poet ) Patron of Pandits and Poets	10	4154-4164	1078-1088
131. Utkarsha, 132. Harsha	22	4164-4186	1088-1110

These six kings ruled for 98 years.

Kings in Taranga VI. - Brahmin Kings.

Gupta Brahmin Dynasty From 936 A.D. to 1012 A.D.
Total 76 years (10 kings)

Name of King	Years Reigned	Kashmirabda or Laukikabda	Christian Era A.D.
117. Yasaskara	9½	4012-4021½	936-945½
118. Varnata--1 month; 119. Sangramadeva-- 5 months	½	4021½—4022	945½-946
120. Parvagupta	2	4022-4024	946-948
121. Kshemagupta	9	4024-4033	948-957
122. Abhimanyugupta, minor, by mother Didda or Diththa Devi, wife of above Kshemagupta. Didda was contemporary to Bhima Sahi of Kabul, descendent of Lalya Sahi. Didda was grand daughter of Bhima Sahi(Daughter's daughter).	14	4033-4047	957-971
123. Nandigupta, second son of Didda, minor, by mother Didda	1	4047-4048	971 -972
124. Tribhuvanagupta, 3rd son of Didda, minor, by mother Didda.	2	4048-4050	972-974
125. Bhima gupta, fourth son of Didda and minor, by mother Didda.	5	4050-4055	974-979
126. Didda or Diththa, herself reigned,Daughter of Simharaja of Lohar, wife of 121. Kshemagupta.	33	4055-4088	979-1012

This Lohar family belongs to the Andhra Satavahana dynasty. This Simharaja, father of Didda, is the son-in—law of Bhima Sahi of Kabul who belonged to the Thomara Dynasty, one of the four Agni Vamsis. These ten Brahrnin kings ruled for 76 years.

Kings of Taranga V. - Utpala Dynasty

From 852 A.D. to 936. - Total 84 years. (8 kings)

Name of King	Years Reigned	Kashmirabda or Laukikabda	Christian Era A.D.
107. Avantivarma (In his court f1ourished many poets like Anandavardhan, Ratanakara )	28	3928-3956	852-880
108. Sankaravarma (Contemporary to Lalya Sahi, Brahmin king of the Yavanas in Uttara Jyotisha, Divya Kataka and Simhapura, now forming part of Afghanistan	20	3956-3976	880-900
109. Gopalavarma, minor, whose mother Sugandha ruled	2	3976-3978	900-902
110. Sankata, 111. Sugandha, 112. Suravarma	2	3978-3980	902-904
113. Partha	14	3980-3994	904-918
114. Nirjitavarma	2	3994-3996	918-920
115. Chakravarma ( murdered )	14	3996-4010	920-934
116. Unmattavanti	2	4010-4012	934-936

These 8 Kings ruled for 84 years.

Kings in Taranga IV - Karkotaka Dynasty

From 252 A.D. to 852 A, D. Total 600 years ( 17 kings).

Name of King	Years Reigned	Kashmirabda or Laukikabda	Christian Era A.D.
90 Durlabha vardhana (Son-in·-law of No.89 king)	36	3328-3364	252-288
91 Durlabhaka or Pratipaditya	50	3364-3414	288-338
92. Chandrapida or Varnaditya	59	3414-3473	338-397
93. Tarapida or Udayaditya	34	3473-3507	397-431
94. Lalitaditya or Mukatapida( Poet )	36	3507-3543	431-467
95. Kuvalayaditya	1	3543-3544	467-468
96. Vajraditya or Bapyayika or Lalitapida	57	3544-3601	468-525
97. Prithivyapida	44	3601-3645	525-569
98. Sangramapida	7 days	3645	569
99. Jayapida ( Pandit and poet R.T. IV-404;489;497;548 slokas)	51	3645-3696	569-620
100. Lalitapida	52	3696-3748	620-672
101. Sangramapida II	57	3748-3805	672-729
102. Chipyata-Jayapida	52	3805-3857	729-781
103. Ajitapida	56	3857-3913	781-837
104. Anangapida	3	3913-3916	837-840
105. Utpalapida	5	3916-3921	840-845
106. Sukhavarma	7	3921-3928	845-852

Total 17 kings ruled for 600 years.

Karkotaka Dynasty ends.